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Emails Lost in Controversial Baltimore Surveillance Program

Updated 04.13.17 12:19PM ET / Published 12.30.16 12:27PM ET

Eric Thayer/Reuters

Officials in Baltimore are unable to provide a police commander’s emails surrounding a controversial secret surveillance program that was conducted on city residents using drones previously employed by the U.S. military during the Iraq War. Marcos Zarragoitia, who headed the Baltimore Police Department’s homeland security division, resigned this year after the program was made public. Officials now say his emails were not kept as is required under the law. The department kept the surveillance program secret from even the most senior-level city officials, including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The planes use advanced technology that is able to detect and track crimes and store surveillance footage on hard drives.